Select Local Merchants

Drawing upon experience accumulated during 15 years in business, the certified stylists, aestheticians, and therapists at The Hair & Spa Gallery work toward the comfort and beauty goals of patrons. Shears hum in the background as stylists lengthen strands with extensions. Beneath shelves of facial elixirs and body wraps, tanning beds purr. Airbrush units spare bodies contact with UV rays and keep them from becoming involved in the sand-eating contests popular at most beaches. Out back, a lush lawn sidles up next to a porch area equipped with potted plants, tables, and chairs where guests can lounge and new looks can see the sun for the first time.

At Premier Cuts Plus, the staff's primary goal is to help clients feel their best from the moment they pass through the arched stone entryway that separates the reception desk from the main salon. Soft music and sounds from a trickling fountain collide harmoniously with the low din created by the studio's stylists, aestheticians, nail technicians, and opera-trained massage therapists as they dole out a full spectrum of treatments designed to keep hair, skin, nails, and muscles in peak form. Floor-to-ceiling columns partition each hairstyling station, providing privacy for the jet-black chairs and shy shampoo bowls that assist stylists as they deftly trim, sculpt, and color strands with products by Pureology and Murad. All guests enjoy complimentary beverages with their treatments, though those planning to linger longer can choose to enjoy the light lunch included in several spa packages or travel with their own hibachi chef.

Q Salon & Spa?s nail technicians use clients? fingernails as their personal canvases, enhancing tips with everything from animal prints to intricate intergalactic designs. Flowers, cartoon characters, and 3-D crystal nail art are all within their expertise, and they have equal skill when tending to natural nails or artificial acrylics. Meanwhile, Q's hairstylists and eyelash specialists are just as artistic, creating trendy cuts or using extensions to add length, thickness, and curl to natural lashes. And, the salon recently expanded its pampering menu to include stress-busting massages and facials that clean out pores and smooth fine lines.

After purchasing the original Hawaiian Tan location in Forest Lake in 2006, Fred and Debbie Newburg renovated the salon from the ground up, outfitting it with brand new tanning beds, computers, and vacation vibes. As their venture flourished, they added bodywork treatments to the menu of services and re-christened the business "Hawaiian Tan and Massage". Now with two locations and a full roster of UV tanning, airbrush tanning, and therapeutic massage offerings, they keep area bodies bronzed and relaxed seven days a week.

The team of therapists at Tiny Apples Massage Therapy soothes tense muscles with modalities such as Swedish, pregnancy, sports, and therapeutic massage. These techniques can ease injured muscles, improve range of motion, and call lazy blood cells to action. During hot-stone massages, massage therapists use smooth stones to loosen curmudgeonly knots. They also use a Japanese technique known as reiki, which targets the body's life force energy through the laying on of hands. They can also enhance these bodywork techniques with aromatherapy and detoxifying foot soaks. The former adds invigorating scents to the session, and the latter expels impurities by putting each sullied foot through a trial by ordeal.